Because of the benefits related to the human and animal health it is desirable to add (LC)-PUFA's to food and feed products. Juices and nectars are regarded as very healthy products. They contain some ingredients, such as vitamins and fibres, which are good for a healthy diet. The addition of PUFA's, which are usually compounds from a natural source, to juice or nectar formulations results in formulation with some additional and very interesting benefits for the consumers. But a major negative issue in regard to the addition of (LC)-PUFA's to a juice or nectar formulation, is the smell and taste of these compounds. A reasonable amount of PUFA's should be added to a juice or nectar and therefore a strong fish taste can be detected. Such a taste is not acceptable for most people. This negative effect is even bigger when the juice or nectar formulation is bottled in transparent glass or PET bottles.
Therefore, the goal of the present invention was to find a (fruit) juice of (fruit) nectar formulation, which comprises (next to the juice or nectar, which is the main component) at least one (LC)-PUFA, but which has no (or just a little) fishy taste. The juice or nectar formulation should not taste or smell fishy for a period, which is at least as long as a typical shelf life of such a formulation.
Surprisingly, it was found that a good tasting (=not fishy) PUFA comprising (fruit) juice or (fruit) nectar formulation could be produced by adding β-carotene to the formulation. The stabilization by addition of β-carotene is especially important, when a juice or nectar is bottled in transparent glass or PET bottles, because β-carotene protects against photo-oxidation, as it acts as singlet-oxygen quencher.
Therefore the present invention relates to a juice or nectar formulation comprising
(i) juice or nectar, and
(ii) 100 ppm 1000 ppm of at least one LC-PUFA, and
(iii) 0.1 ppm-20 ppm of β-carotene.